He wouldn't be Head of Events without a good story

Michael Head of Events has gone through several iterations himself, having joined the company on the ground floor as a controller and moved through the ranks to Head of Events.  This life-long relationship with the firm means he’s intimately familiar with our ethos of putting the client and quality first and foremost. 

As well as making sure his team are running at peak efficiency, Michael doubles as a project manager, able to run the most complex of events. It’s a 24/7 responsibility, a fact amply demonstrated as during our conversation he’s pulled away to take a call from a client regarding an event running that day in Berlin.

As well as that event, the client being a major international bank, he’s simultaneously working on a global financial institution’s board meeting in Dublin, as well as reviewing the first manifest that has arrived for The Masters. Michael said: “I’m very hands on. I’ve been here for ten years now. I started as a controller and worked all the way up. Events coordinator, events manager, project manager.  “It sets a good example to everyone in the team if they see me working hard and how specific I am on the finer points of an event, that they can use that as a measuring stick of what they are expected to do and how hard they’re expected to work. “The fact that I’ve worked on every level rather than be parachuted in means I understand intimately the roles of the people I manage.

“I would say one word for the company is quality, whether that’s quality of service, quality of vehicle, quality of staff. It’s the main focus for me, the number one driver.”

A good example of this commitment to excellence can be seen in what Michael describes as his most enjoyable event with TBR Global, covering the 2008 Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi. 

Despatched to the UAE a week in advance by CEO Michael O’Hare - who wisely anticipated issues - he and project manager Kern Jennings were left playing a game of hunt-the-Mercedes with the local supplier. He explained: “Our clients’ requirement was to have eight Mercedes in place, which we thought we had sorted out. “Michael though knew better thanks to his experience and told us to get out there a week in advance, we said, no we don’t need to, he said, no there WILL be problems. “So we set up a date to view the cars, we get told it it’s not possible, we set up a second one and end up standing around in an underground car park for four hours - no cars turn up.“We speak to the local supplier to tell him we’ve had enough, bring the cars to the hotel. 

“On the third day one car turns up but it’s a souped up Mercedes S Class with 22 inch alloys and fibe glass, not what we want for corporate clients. “We went crazy at the supplier and he takes us somewhere he thinks he has S-classes - they were all BMWs, we go to a second place, all 7 series. “We go to a third place, it’s STILL all BMWS. At that point I kind of lost the plot and flexed our muscles in terms of what our contract allowed us to do.  

“The next day the supplier picks us up and starts driving us to the desert, we’re in the back of the car, Kerr and I, looking at one another thinking, where on earth are we going? 

“We end up in the biggest unit in the middle of nowhere, we drive into it and there must have been 300 BMW 7 series. I’m despairing at this point, but the supplier say, don’t worry.

“We drive right up to the back and there are eight S-classes with TBR number plates. 

“It was an ordeal to say the least, but we ended up having a bit of time to enjoy the sights of Abu Dhabi, and the hotel pool!”

With an uncle as CEO, and his mother managing director for TBR Global’s American operations, Michael has grown up alongside the phenomenal expansion of the company.
But looking back now, is he surprised that the firm has managed to grow over such a relatively short period of time?  “Not really. Knowing my uncle and how driven he is I realised he was always going to make it what it is today,” he said.  “I’d say I’ve been held to a higher standard because of the family connection, but it’s installed a work ethic in me that I would say is my best quality. “I don’t see myself being anywhere else in my career. I’m here, I want to progress further and see how far I can get. “Certainly the opportunities are here for all of our staff, you just need to take them by showing you can do it.”

To find out more about joining TBR Global, click here.